1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal device, an electronic apparatus provided with the liquid crystal device, and a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a liquid crystal display (LCD), there has been a device capable of displaying a stereoscopic image viewable with the naked eyes of a user. This type of liquid crystal display includes a mechanism that arranges a liquid crystal device such as a variable lens array on the surface of the liquid crystal display that displays an image thereon as a mechanism that generates parallax in user's eyes. The liquid crystal display having a variable lens array utilizes the refractive index of the liquid crystal of the variable lens array to divide an image displayed on an image display device into two in conformity with a right-and-left parallax and generate a parallax of the images that reach respective right-and-left eyes of a user thus constituting an image that is stereophonically viewable.
When the liquid crystal device constitutes the variable lens array, a pair of substrates needs to be separated with a predetermined distance therebetween. The liquid crystal layer of the variable lens array becomes considerably thicker compared with a liquid crystal layer of a general liquid crystal display panel. On the other hand, the liquid crystal device has a structure such that spacers are provided between two substrates that sandwich a liquid crystal layer to maintain the thickness of the liquid crystal layer.
As a spacer provided in a liquid crystal device, there have been a pillar spacer described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2000-214424 and scattered spacers, where spherical spacers are scattered, described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Publication No. 2012-173517.
It is difficult to control the positions at which the scattered spacers are arranged and arrange the scattered spacers at predetermined positions with respect to an electrode pattern. When the spacers are positioned at random, a liquid crystal lens varies in shape depending on the position thereof and hence, there may be a case that the characteristics of the lens are unstable. On the other hand, the pillar spacers can be formed in a desired pattern by the process that uses lithography and etching.
The liquid crystal device of the variable lens array uses, for example, a vertical alignment (VA) mode liquid crystal. Liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal device are aligned in such a manner that the major axis direction thereof is aligned along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate when applying no voltage (in an OFF state), and aligned in such a manner that the liquid crystal molecules tilt (incline) depending on the level of the voltage when applying a voltage (in an ON state). Accordingly, in the state of applying no voltage, when a voltage is applied to a liquid crystal layer and the liquid crystal molecules aligned in the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate tilt, the liquid crystal molecules tilt in arbitrary directions, giving rise to the possibility of the alignment disorder of the liquid crystal molecules and the occurrence of an abnormal alignment (a reverse twisted domain, for example). In particular, in the liquid crystal device using pillar spacers, there may be a case that the abnormal alignment easily occurs. In the place in which the abnormal alignment occurs, the failure with a display defect occurs and thus causes deterioration in yield.